I can explain

Wow. An influx of followers! This is terrific! Thank you for joining the Steeplechase with me! (After all, what is a blog without followers?)

Let me know if you have read any of these and what you thought of them!

They are a tiny bit hard to see, but whatever.

#1: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

This book is positively amazing – and sad. Set in World War I, it is the story of a horse sold to the army to pull cannons, carry riders and whatnot…all told from the horse’s perspective. Very tear-jerking.

If I had not already heard of Nathaniel Bowditch, I would not have guessed this was a biography! It was amazing! Raving! Raving! Raving! Follows the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, the Father of American Navigation. Newbery winner!

Pre-1900! This book is very thrilling, and will keep you on the edge of your chair – IF YOU READ THE ORIGINAL! Do NOT settle for an abridged version! It is, as Charlie Brown once said, “not unlike drinking diluted root beer”. (P.S: Jules Verne is famous for making up things that don’t really exist, such as large sleighs rigged out in sails like schooners. If it sounds imaginary, it probably is.)

I have received critique on this book that complains that nothing happens. That isn’t true! You just have to analyze it! Plus, there are thousands of little details that you have wanted to see written into a story. Kind of sad. But very funny in other places.

Henty is unknown to most of my generation. What a shame! His books are awesome, and there are 99 of them altogether, not mention two hundred something short stories! So far I have read five, and once you delve into this one, you’ll see why it has taken me since two years ago to read only five…This book is about the policemen of Australia back when it was still a prison colony. Read! (P.S: Some people give these books a bad rep for, er, characterizing the way African people talk. I don’t see anything wrong with it, and the Africans are often wayyyy smarter than the others, so if you have a problem with that, or if you can’t understand written accents, skip this one.)

Reading level: ♦♦♦♦♦
Lessons learned: ♦♦◊◊◊
Sadness level: ◊◊◊◊◊
Scariness level: ♦♦♦♦◊
Emotionally taxing level: ♦◊◊◊◊
Humor level: ♦♦♦◊◊ (if you have a weird sense of humor like Yours Truly)
Hard to find?: ♦♦♦♦♦ (only available from one publisher, whom I will cite at the end of this.)

#9: True to the Old Flag by G. A. Henty

#insert monolouge about Henty#
#insert monolouge about postscript#

With that done, I can talk about the book. This one is about the Revolutionary War. I suppose you think the ‘old flag’ is Old Glory? Think again! Henty was British, so he wrote about these events from the other side! Very exciting. Covers Bunker’s Hill, Lexington, Indian raids, Charleston, and many other interesting exploits. Tell me when you get to the part where they fire the train.

Final note: DO NOT CONFUSE CAPTAIN WILSON FROM A FINAL RECKONING WITH THE CAPTAIN WILSON IN THIS BOOK! When I was reading this aloud, I gave a three-second pause after every mention of Captain Wilson so to get the correct Captain Wilson in my readers’ minds.

That’s basically it. To get the Hentys, visit robinsonbooks.com (I have helpfully brought it to the right page, and right now they are on sale for $12!). Tell me if you’ve read any of these or are considering it!

Grab my button!

What I’m Reading…

THE book for animators. It’s very entertaining but is PACKED with info.

AKA Dickens Tells A Story But Not Really Because Half The Book Is Him Yammering On About Some Miniscule Detail.

Almost done *sobs* IVANNNN

99 cents at Goodwill. Hey, why not?

Haven’t started yet

I began reading this one on a campout. Finished CotW but still working on WF. Note: do not read while sleeping outside in the vacinity of coyotes. You will find that many unpleasant thoughts show themselves and freak you out.